Medway school pupils take part in powerful Holocaust workshop series
Pupils at a special school in Chatham took a step back in time as part of a powerful four-day workshop series teaching them about the Holocaust and forms of prejudice in today’s society.
Inspire Academy, rated Good by Ofsted and part of Parallel Learning Trust, welcomed The Anne Frank Trust UK to deliver the programme of immersive workshops to pupils aged 11 to 14.
The sessions explored the Holocaust and the story of Anne Frank, a German-born Jewish girl who kept a diary detailing her life in hiding during the German occupation of the Netherlands in the Second World War before her arrest in 1944.
The programme also tackled a range of contemporary issues related to prejudice and discrimination.
Each workshop focused on a specific theme. These included antisemitism, gender inequality, homophobia, Islamophobia, transphobia, racism and ableism.
The Anne Frank Trust UK is an education charity that empowers young people aged nine to 15 to recognise and challenge all forms of prejudice through learning about Anne Frank and the Holocaust.
The workshops were organised by Ellice Turner, who teaches English at Inspire Academy, as part of the enriching curriculum the school delivers as part of its excellent education provision.
Inspire Academy has 95 pupils aged 11 to 16, who have an EHCP (Educational, Health and Care Plan) in place, with SEMH (Social, Emotional and Mental Health) as their primary need.
Lauren O’Regan, Associate Senior Leader for the Quality of Education and Lead Practitioner for English at Inspire Academy, said:
“Our pupils were already studying Anne Frank, and these workshops really helped to enhance the topic.
“They provided pupils with a powerful understanding of Anne Frank’s story and the Holocaust, and also helped develop their speaking, listening and writing skills in an incredibly engaging way.
“Importantly, the workshops gave pupils a deeper awareness of how prejudice continues to affect our communities today, giving them the tools to understand what is right and wrong, and what they can do if they feel someone has been mistreated.
“The workshops have also set them up for future learning in their PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) lessons.
“We would like to thank The Anne Frank Trust UK for delivering the free workshops. They were dynamic and thought-provoking, and our pupils came away with a greater sense of empathy, respect, and social responsibility.”